Projectile.



. PATENTED'J'AN. 22,1907.'

c. VANE. WEEELEE E A; E. MOKENNA. 1

K vPROJEGTILB. AEPLIOATIOH FILED JULY2s,1soe-.

CHARLES VAN CIsE WHEELER AND ALEXANDER .GEORGE MCKEN-NA; Ev

.' P1rrsBURG,1PENNSYLVANIA.

' P.HOJIEG'TILE.v

Specification of Lettersl latent.

Patented Jan. '22, 1 907.

.- Anuman una' my 26.1906. semi Na'sz'me.

" To all uffi/om, it may concern;

v Be it known that We, CHARLES N CrsE .WHEELER and ALEXANDER ,GEORGE `Mo- KENNA, 'citizens of the United States, and

residents of Pittsburg, county of Allegheny, and. State l"of Pennsylvania, 'have `-invented certain newA and useful Improvements li-nProj jectiles,'of which the following is a specification.; l I0 Our invention relates to cap tiles.` Its object is. to increase the penetration of such rojectiles Without'interfering with'theirliig t. ff For the purpose of. illustrating vour invenn tion we have shown it as applied to a shell falda. @ed to carry an explosive chargepbutit 1s o vious that this isnon-#essential to the invention, which is notlirnited thereto v In the drawing, 1 designates the, body of a shell, having a oint 2, the tipof which is indicatedat' 3. he shell is provided with the usual chamber 4,1 rear closure 5, and riiiing- .band 6. Covering thefrward end. of the- .point of the shell is a cap 7, which in the 25 resent instanceis shown as secured thereto y rods 8, engaging in cooperating annular 4grooves 9 and 10, formed in the point of the shelland in the inner wall of the cap, res ectively.- This method of fastening the '30 shel is described and claimed. inl our Patent No. 748,827,-v dated 4January, 1904, and

of course forms no part of thefpresent -invention. lThe bod formed of hardene, s'teel and the cap 7 of a soft steel. Thepresent invention consists in placing between the outer'cap 7'an'd the pointof the shell an inner cohesive ca 11, made ci a relatively soft metal, prefera 1y soft lead. It will be seen that this-cap extends over the 4G tip Soi-the shell and is of substantial thickness, havin its greatestthickness ap roxi- .mately at t e extreme tip of the she and extending rearwardly therefrom for a short 4 distance. As shown, the outer cap 7 extends 5.45i rearwardly over the point of the shell to a A:greater distanceithan the inner cap 1 1,-v so as tc hold the innercap in osition and'so as to 'per 't thesecuringDt e outercap. directly to thl shell. As a convenient means of se- '50 curing the innercap -1 1 within the outer cap f I(iluringl'the' assembling oir"l the .projectile We Epreferablygform in the' latter an annular gi'oove'sl'Z1,v int which a corresponding annued projeci of the shell is *usually y lar projection 13 in the inner soft-metal cap is forced.

`We 'are awarefthat heretoforev soft-steel caps have been secured to the points of shells.

by' means ofsolder. Our present invention is clearly distinguished from this former construction in that the cap' 11 in this case hasa heating its'point, which oi course tends v'to draw the temper and is therefore deleterious. 6 5

The advantage ofthe inner cohesive lead l or sot-metal cap is that it is more inert than' j- .Wall of substantial-thickness,and particularly in that it may be'v applied to the shell without the steel cap and does not -tend to iiy away 'l' from the point of the shell during impact against'jthe armor-plate, thereby.l forming a The."y heat eveloped in impact undoubtedly acts very.' 'erfectvlubricant for .the point.

tov ymelt this lead cap, and thereby cover the point 'for a .considerable distance, A thus increasing its penetration.v The lead'being in a state of com lete compression between the outer cap 'an 'the point of the shell is fully as effective as the steel cap itself for the purpose of 'delivering the blow of the.' shell through theouter cap to theplate.

The use of soft metal, such. as lead`,con'

' trasts with graphite as -a lubricant because of the cohesive qualities ofthe lead, .even when undergoingv deformation, andthe capacity of.

the lead 4to -melt.. under excessivev heat and pressure, neither-of which qualities haveany analogy in graphite so far as We are aware.

Byfthe term metal as used in theclaims -referring'to the inner cap we of course include any alloy of two or more soft metals, although We believe soft lead to be at least as advantageous vas 'anyother ymetal or alloy that cantbe used for this purpose.

1; A cap ed projectile lh aying'an inner cap of relativey. soft metal interposed between the tip of the'. shell;I and the outer cap, :the Wall -of'said innercap bei'` g1, fof Sllbstantial thickness.

2. A pointed-projectile comprising abody,l

an inner-capjof relativelysoft' I 'netahthe Walls' of. which are of substantialfthickness, andan outercap '3. pointe proJectilecomprisuiga dened-steel body, ran outer cap o soft'steel,

covering saidl inner cap and secured to the (point of thebody.I fie e Y .and an inner cap of-'relatively soft. metal in- 7. `an inner cap of relatively soft meta and an outer cap covering said lnner cap and se-V terposed between the tip of the body and the l an inner cap of relatively soft metal7 an outer inner wall oi the outer cap.

4. A pointed projectile comprising a hardened-steel body, an outer capv of soft metal, and an inner cap of-inetal not harder than lead interposed between the tip of the body and the inner wall of the cap.

5. A pointed projectile comprising a hardened-.steel body,'an outer cap of soft metal, and an inner cap of soft lead interposed between the tip of the body and the inner wall of the outer cap.

6. A capped projectile having an inner cap of relatively softmetal interposed between the tip of the shell and the outer cap, the

maximum thickness of said inner cap being approximately at the extreme tip of ,the

body. Y l

A pointed projectile colnprisin a body,

cured` to the point of the body, saidouter cap extending rearwardly7 a substantially greater distance thansaid inner cap.

8. A pointed projectile comprising a b'ody, an inner cap of relatively soft metal, an outer cap covering said inner cap and secured to j .the point of the body, said outer cap extending :rearwardly a substantially greater dlstance than said inner cap, andrneans for sel curing said outer `cap on said body located rearwardly of said inner cap.

9. A pointed projectile comprising a body,

, vided with a re atiyelysoft-'met'al ing cooperating grooves on said outer cap and said body and'a rod filling said grooves for securing saidouter cap on said body, said means being located .rearwardly of said inner cap.

10., A pointed rojectile havlng a call) p ro# ining within the cap and secured to the interior of the cap, the said cap being secured independently thereofto the point 4of the shell.

11. A projectile cap of steel having an inner lining or cap of softer metal, the two being'secured together by coperating projections and recesses and adapted to be applied to the point of a projectile.

In testimony whereof we have signed this I specification in the presence of two Subscribing witnesses. lHARLES VAN CISE WHEELER. ALEXANDER GEORGE MCKENNA.

Witnesses to the signature of Charles Van Cise Wheeler:

FRANK G. HARRISON, E. B. WHEEDEN.

Witnesses to the signature of Alexander George McKenna:

WILLIAM T. TODD, W. l LANELT.' 

